Cleanup was underway on North Claiborne Avenue and St. Phillip Street where crews uncovered a pickup truck beneath the rubble. It belongs to Kemba White-Dupree's father.

"I am just completely thankful that he wasn't in the truck or that he wasn't hurt," she said as she returned to take pictures Friday.

Her father was getting food across the street when a tornado swept through the neighborhood, and he immediately called her for help.

"He said 'A house fell on my truck,' and I said 'A house fell on your truck?' He said 'Yeah, they had a tornado over here and a house fell on my truck,'" she said.

Disbelief had some coming out to see it for themselves.

Neighbors near a collapsed home in the 1300 block of Kerlerec Street were angry that it took a tornado to knock it down after years of complaints to the city. The property collapsed beneath the strength of Mother Nature, and only the interior stairway still stands.

Sterling Doucette was surveying the damage to his friend's home next door.

"The city should have tore this down a long time ago," Doucette said. "They didn't enforce the laws and it endangered the people's lives. This post could have fell on someone and killed them."

According to the city's Blight Status website, as of April 12 the Kerlerec Street property has nine violations, and the owner is due to have a hearing on Aug. 11.

The owner Paul Sylvester said the house was built in the 1850's and the rear previously collapsed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Friday evening, he said the complete collapse during Thursday's tornado was "a blessing in disguise." He said he would back to begin picking up the debris Saturday.

Doucette said the city has been called on many occasions and the owner had been cited.

"I fault the city because if the city would have worked and forced him to do something with this property, they didn't enforce the laws." Doucette said because of it, neighbors are paying in more ways than one.

"With blighted property like this that have been cited on many occasions and nothing has been done, the premiums go up for the neighbors on both sides because of the area that you're in," he said.

According to city records, a third property that collapsed on N. Claiborne and Ursulines avenues was last inspected Aug. 1 and had eight violations.

A city spokesperson said the property owners are responsible for the cost of the debris removal and will be billed by the city for reimbursement of any cleanup that was done at their properties. The city expects all of the debris will be removed by the end of next week.

Sen. Bill Cassidy was out surveying the damage Friday.

"You're sorry that they were vacant. You're sorry that this area has not restored vibrancy. On the other hand when a tornado hits down there's a silver lining in that lack of vibrancy but let me make it clear. I want there to be a vibrant neighborhood here," he said.

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